[Cardiovascular imaging in heart failure]

Abstract

Transthoracic echocardiography remains the first-line cardiac imaging for diagnosis, management and screening of heart failure, whatever its phenotype (heart failure with reduced, mid-range and preserved ejection fraction). It allows anatomic characterization, systolic and diastolic functions of left and right ventricles assessment, intracardiac hemodynamic evaluation and for the assessment of valve disease. Myocardial deformation imaging (strain) is indicated in patients with heart failure for the assessment of systolic ventricles function and the diagnosis of specific heart diseases. Strain is indicated for the screening of preclinical myocardial dysfunction in patients at risk or exposed to cardiotoxic treatment. Altered global longitudinal strain is associated with a poor prognosis in heart failure. Cardiac magnetic resonance is recommended for the assessment of myocardial structure and function in subjects with poor acoustic window and patients with complex congenital heart diseases, in order to distinguish between ischemic and non-ischemic myocardial damage in patients with dilated cardiopathy and to characterize myocardial tissue in case of suspected specific heart disease.